Gadhafi backers want revenge for NATO strike

by Karin Laub and Ben Hubbard - May. 3, 2011 12:00 AMAssociated Press

TRIPOLI, Libya - Libyans shouting for revenge buried Moammar Gadhafi's second-youngest son to the thundering sound of anti-aircraft fire Monday, as South Africa warned that the NATO bombing that killed him would bring only more violence.

Libya's leader did not attend the tumultuous funeral of 29-year-old Seif al-Arab, but older brothers Seif al-Islam and Mohammed paid their respects, thronged by a crowd of several thousand. Jostling to get closer to the coffin, draped with a green Libyan flag, mourners flashed victory signs and chanted, "Revenge, revenge for you, Libya."

Three of Gadhafi's grandchildren, an infant and two toddlers, also died in Saturday's attack, which NATO says targeted one of the regime's command and control centers. Gadhafi and his wife were in the compound at the time but escaped unharmed, Libyan officials said, accusing the alliance of trying to assassinate the Libyan leader.

NATO officials have denied they are hunting Gadhafi to break the battlefield stalemate between Gadhafi's troops and rebels trying for the past 10 weeks to depose him. Rebels largely control eastern Libya, while Gadhafi has clung to much of the west, including the capital, Tripoli.

Fierce battles have raged in Misrata, a besieged rebel-held city in western Libya, which has been shelled by Libyan forces every day in recent weeks. Records at one hospital showed that at least eight people were killed and 54 injured in shelling on Monday that lasted all morning and for a brief period during the afternoon.

Rebels have repeatedly called on NATO to use more firepower against Libyan troops.

"We call on the world to deal with Gadhafi just as they dealt with bin Laden," said a Misrata doctor, referring to the killing of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden in Pakistan by U.S. forces early Monday. The doctor gave only his first name, Aiman, for fear of reprisals.

Under a U.N. mandate, NATO'S role is to protect Libyan civilians, but the international community has increasingly disagreed about what that entails. Western political leaders have called for Gadhafi's ouster, prompting warnings from Russia, China and others that regime change must not be the objective of NATO'S bombing campaign, now in its second month.

Responding to the attack on Gadhafi's compound, South Africa said Monday that "attacks on leaders and officials can only result in the escalation of tensions and conflicts on all sides and make future reconciliation difficult." On Sunday, Russia accused NATO of a "disproportionate use of force" and called for an immediate cease-fire.